Eumelus of Corinth (
Eumelos), of the clan of the
Bacchiadae, is a semi-legendary early
Greek poet to whom were attributed several epic poems as well as a celebrated
prosodion, the treasured processional anthem of
Messenian independence that was performed on
Delos. One small fragment of it survives in a quote by
Pausanias. To Eumelus was also attributed authorship of several antiquarian epics composed in the Corinthian-Sicyonian cultural sphere, notably
Corinthiaca, an epic narrating the legends and early history of his home city
Corinth. The
Corinthiaca is now lost, but a written version of it was used by Pausanias in his survey of the antiquities of Corinth. The epics
Europia,
Bougonia (perhaps the same as
Europia),
Titanomachy and
Return from Troy (one of the
Nostoi) were also ascribed to Eumelus by various later authors. Eumelus was traditionally dated between 760 and 740 BC. According to
Martin West the epics appear to have been composed in the late seventh or sixth century BC, later than the date traditionally ascribed to Eumelus in the Greek chronographic tradition used, for instance, by
Eusebius of Caesarea.